By Janice Kersh

Learning a new language is a challenging endeavor. An ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher's job is to help students meet that challenge successfully.

Teachers also have a lot of demands placed upon them and often a short amount of time to get through a lot of material. 

Here are some skills you need to master to make your ESL course a success:

Set Clear Expectations

 Use your first class to establish your expectations of your students both academically and in terms of classroom behavior:

• Make an outline of the material you plan to cover in the course. This helps students understand what they'll get out of the course.
• Explain rules and regulations such as attendance, breaks, dress code, etc.
• If this is a course that they'll earn a certification for, let them know what they'll need to do to earn the certification. Will they need to pass an exam or several exams? What's on the exam? Is it written or oral or both? 

Make sure students are aware of your expectations from the beginning so you can manage your classroom and address issues as they come up. 

Create Relevant Content

The more you're able to identify the interests and goals of your students, the easier it will be for you to craft lessons that will engage them. You can do a group exercise where everyone says what their hobbies are. Or do it as a written exercise where they have to write a paragraph describing what they like to do and why they're learning English. Use this information to provide meaningful content to your students. 

Be Flexible

Each class has a unique dynamic. Though it's important to plan your lessons and be prepared for your classes ahead of time, don't be so focused on getting through your lesson that you fail to pay attention to whether or not your students are “getting it”. Some exercises may work perfectly with some groups and fall flat with others. No classroom and no teacher is perfect. Being flexible will allow you to adapt your lesson when things don't go as planned. 

Be Able to Foster English Conversations 

English is a new skill for your students, therefore it's likely to be awkward, uncomfortable and even embarrassing for them to speak it. It's your job to create an environment where speaking in English is encouraged and rewarded. Try some of these exercises:

• Print an article and read it out loud together. It's best if the article is about something controversial to spark debate. For example: “Global Warming is a Myth.” Divide students into two groups: those who defend and those who refute the opinion. Give them time to organize their groups in order to present a debate on this topic in English. 

• Designate a period of 20 minutes for “English Only” in each class where students are only allowed to express themselves in English. Make it fun and engaging. Provide support and encouragement for students who are struggling to express themselves. Encourage the students to help each other.

• Gradually increase the amount of time you speak only in English for each class. 

Be Able to Connect English to Real Life

Getting out the classroom and out of an academic environment can be a great way to get students to practice their English. Why not take students to a sporting event or a cultural event nearby? Even a simple trip to the grocery store to reinforce vocabulary about food can be fun. A field trip like this can help students understand how to apply English practically. They may meet new people to practice their English with and be encouraged and inspired to learn more. You can also use these experiences to create lessons and vocabulary-building exercises back in the classroom. 

Understand a Student's Culture

Being sensitive to the cultural climate the student is coming from can help you understand more about their habits and behavior as a student. Some cultures encourage students to engage and participate while other cultures encourage quietness and obedience. Besides these traits, by learning more about a student, you make them feel valued and create a bridge between yourself and the student. This will help them engage more in your lessons. 

Create Assessment Tools

Make sure you track your students' progress in all areas of classwork. You should include areas such as classroom participation, reading, writing, spelling, pronunciation, listening comprehension among others. By periodic evaluations and exercises, you should be able to gauge where your students stand. Once you've done this you can then implement plans on how to help students with the areas where they're struggling.

By developing these areas of your ESL class, you'll provide a more positive, more engaging experience to your students and have a higher success rate. 

Janice Kersh is a former ESL teacher now working as a writer at EssayWriter.Pro. She is a book nut, in love with science-fiction and a beginner author, working on a couple short stories.

By David White

If you are considering higher education in the United States, you no doubt know that before you can be accepted into most programs, you must demonstrate a certain degree of proficiency in English. 

Many people are familiar with the Test of English as a Foreign Language (or TOEFL), which is the standardized exam most commonly used by colleges and universities when evaluating international applicants. What you may be less familiar with, however, is the Test of English for International Communication (or TOEIC). 

There are important similarities and differences between these two exams that you should examine before deciding which test is right for you.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
First offered in 1964, the TOEFL is frequently used by American schools to determine how well potential international students can read, speak, write, and understand English. The test consists of four sections: Reading, in which you answer questions about several passages; Listening, in which you answer questions about conversations and lectures; Speaking, in which you verbally make an argument, state an opinion, and so on; and Writing, in which you write essays based on exam tasks. The TOEFL is typically proctored electronically, but a paper option does exist for certain circumstances.

For current students, the content of the TOEFL will likely feel familiar, as the test is largely oriented toward testing your academic knowledge via classroom tasks, textbook passages, etc. Moreover, there is no official passing or failing grade—rather, each portion of the exam is given a score of 0-30 points, for a total score of 0-120.

The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC)
The largest difference between the TOEIC and the TOEFL is who takes each test and why. Unlike the TOEFL, which is designed for academia, the TOEIC assesses a person’s ability to use English in a real-world context like business. 

For instance, a person who was pursuing a position working in a luxury resort would need to know how to work with basic business concepts in English. In this case, he or she might decide to take the TOEIC, as it demonstrates the test-taker’s proficiency in this field. 

The content of the TOEIC is otherwise similar to the TOEFL—both assess listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills. 

Choosing the right exam
When deciding which test is right for you, there are three critically important items to take into consideration. First, do the universities to which you are applying have any requirements for English language assessment? Most schools will accept TOEFL scores, but fewer will accept the TOEIC. Before registering for either exam, contact each university to determine which it prefers or accepts.

The second item to consider is what you plan to do with your test scores. If the schools do not have a preference and you plan to enter the business community in an English-speaking country, taking the TOEIC might be in your best interest because it measures your ability to use English in a real-world context.

Finally, take a moment to consider the ways in which you have studied English to date, as well as which areas are your strengths. As previously mentioned, the TOEFL is primarily intended for academic environments, which means that the exam is oriented toward those who have learned English through textbooks and in classrooms. 

David White is a contributing writer for UniversityTutor.com, the world's largest global marketplace for finding independent tutors. 

By Gloria Kopp

When you're writing, all you can think of is how far you're getting, and what you're trying to express through the act of writing itself. What you're not thinking about is whether your grammar is correct, or if your writing flows correctly. However, these simple mistakes mar otherwise great writing. Here's 7 of the most common editing mistakes, and how you can avoid them.

1. Misspellings

This is one of the most common errors, but one that can make a huge impact on your writing. Avoid them by proofreading your work carefully once you are finished, and correcting spelling errors as you go. Integrated spell checkers such as the spell check function on Microsoft Word can help, but don't rely on it entirely, as it can't pick up every error. 

Online editing tools can help catch and correct this error, and more:

• Hemingway Editor: This is a visual app, that highlights all the errors in your word when you paste it in. It's colour coded too, so you can pick out all types of errors at a glance.

• Grammar Checker: This is a good app when you want to quickly check your grammar. Paste the work in, and you'll see all the errors at a glance.

• Custom Writing Service: The writers at BoomEssays will proofread work you send them, applying their expert eye. They'll send back a perfectly polished piece for you.

2. Sentence sprawl

This occurs when a sentence runs on for too long, with too many equally weighted clauses, making it tiresome to read. Instead, edit your sentence so you keep the main thoughts, but express them more concisely. You can separate them into three different sentences, use shorter words, or use one word instead of two or three word phrases.

3. Omitted commas

When reading a piece, it's clear a comma has been omitted when supporting information is presented in the same sentence as the main point, without any method of showing it's supporting information. 
While proofreading, look out for the sentences that feel as if they need to be broken up to get their point across more clearly. Edit in the commas to make your text flow more easily.

Use the following tools to polish your writing:

Pro Writing Aid
Paste your work into this app and it will give you the readability of your writing, as well as highlighting any errors. It's a great all in one tool. 

EssayRoo Australian writing service
If you don't feel you have the skills for editing, the aussie writers here can help. Send your work to them and they can proofread it expertly. 

4. Unnecessary commas

On the other hand, too many commas in your work can visually trip up the reader, making the sentence difficult to read. 

When editing, read through and pick out the sentences that are difficult to read because they are too segmented. You'll find that removing one or more commas will help it flow much better.

5. Apostrophe errors

Apostrophes are easily misplaced, but when they are, they can change the entire layout of a sentence. For example, see how the misplacement of an apostrophe changes this sentence:

'In the current conflict its uncertain who's borders their contesting.'

The correct sentence should read like so:

'In the current conflict it is uncertain whose borders they're contesting.'

When writing, remember that apostrophes indicate possession for nouns, such as 'Jim's hat', but not for personal pronouns. They also indicate a contraction, such as 'it's' for 'it is'.

6. Misused words

The English language is a wide and expressive language, but there are many words that sound like each other while meaning completely different things. For example, 'peak' and 'peek' are often interchanged by accident.

When editing, try using a glossary of usage to make sure the word you're using is the correct one in the context you're using it in.

Do not forget to use these tools to avoid misused words mistake:

Clarity Jargon Buster
This app will read your work for you, telling you where you've used jargon. Remove it for instantly better writing.

Readability Test Tool
Paste your work into this tool to see just how readable it is. Check either your raw work, or a URL.

7. Sentence fragments

A sentence fragment occurs when a sentence is constructed, yet the ideas within it cannot stand on their own as a complete thought.

For example:

'He really enjoyed watching sports. For example, football, rugby and cricket.'

The sentence should read:

'He really enjoyed watching sports, such as football, rugby, and cricket.'

When editing, check for any sentences that read like the top example. If the thought contained it cannot stand alone, consider merging it with another sentence, or editing it out altogether.

How to avoid these errors?

Online editing tools can help catch and correct all of these errors, and more.
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These are just 7 of the most commonly made mistakes when it comes to writing. These errors go to show just how vital proofreading and editing are when it comes to publication, as even the smallest errors can change the way it reads drastically. 

Gloria Kopp is a web content writer and an elearning consultant from Manville city. She graduated from University of Wyoming and started a career of a creative writer. She has recently launched her Studydemic educational website and is currently working as a freelance writer and editor.